One of my girls ate a frog 😳

[yoopersjd]

Chickens eat about anything... Remember as kid on the family farm when it was time to cull chickens for the freezer it was family affair. Us kids had the choice of gutting or plucking... I finally got the less gruesome chore (as I thought) of gutting, I hated plucking.... Well anyway, every yr there was always chickens on the farm that would end up scratching up old rusty nails and eating them. And every yr there would always be a few birds with nails clean through their gizzards and yet they survived long enough for the harvest.... Now days I call my flock "Yard Buzzards". every now and then a morning dove makes it into the enclosed run through the wire mess covering the run and my yard buzzards will actually stalk, jump and take them down to consume........They don't last long that is for sure.

 

[ecorso]

If your chickens are eating anything other than layer pellets, they need a little grit. If they are free range, they will eat grit form the dirt. If they are confined to a run, buy some grit, (farm store/feed store...), and out it out for them free choice. If they need it they should eat it. The grit stays in their crop. It is what grinds up food after it goes down their throat, before it enters their stomach. Anything other than the ground up layer crumbles or pellets, needs grit to grind it up, including scratch grains, and living organisms like frogs.

 

[middle TN Nancy]

If your chickens are eating anything other than layer pellets, they need a little grit. If they are free range, they will eat grit form the dirt. If they are confined to a run, buy some grit, (farm store/feed store...), and out it out for them free choice. If they need it they should eat it. The grit stays in their crop. It is what grinds up food after it goes down their throat, before it enters their stomach. Anything other than the ground up layer crumbles or pellets, needs grit to grind it up, including scratch grains, and living organisms like frogs.

I thought the grit ended up in their gizzards, where it grinds up food.

 

[Double Yolked]

Chickens eat about anything... Remember as kid on the family farm when it was time to cull chickens for the freezer it was family affair. Us kids had the choice of gutting or plucking... I finally got the less gruesome chore (as I thought) of gutting, I hated plucking.... Well anyway, every yr there was always chickens on the farm that would end up scratching up old rusty nails and eating them. And every yr there would always be a few birds with nails clean through their gizzards and yet they survived long enough for the harvest.... Now days I call my flock "Yard Buzzards". every now and then a morning dove makes it into the enclosed run through the wire mess covering the run and my yard buzzards will actually stalk, jump and take them down to consume........They don't last long that is for sure.

My girls are death on small stuff but I've never had one try for a dove. That is wild! What type of bird? RiRs?

 

[Bonnieblu]

So, I go outside to check on my chickens and here comes one of RIR girls with something large in her mouth, I tiptoe over and lo and behold, its a frog, at least 2" long. She then proceeds to swallow it whole! Do I need to be worried?!

That's Awesome!

 

[ReadingRAEnBo]

If your chickens are eating anything other than layer pellets, they need a little grit. If they are free range, they will eat grit form the dirt. If they are confined to a run, buy some grit, (farm store/feed store...), and out it out for them free choice. If they need it they should eat it. The grit stays in their crop. It is what grinds up food after it goes down their throat, before it enters their stomach. Anything other than the ground up layer crumbles or pellets, needs grit to grind it up, including scratch grains, and living organisms like frogs.

My babies are all free range. But I also offer them grit beside their feed just in case.